Christmas Tree
by CrazyBeCat
Summary: Prompt from Tumblr: Decorating First Christmas Tree together. SWAN QUEEN. (This one totally ran away from me)... Emma, Regina, and Henry. It's time to decorate the tree. Henry's excited, Emma is not. But Henry and Regina give her the best first holiday experience.


"Emma! Guess what!" Henry exclaimed when his blonde mother trudged into the kitchen, her hair sticking out, and rubbing a hand over her face.

"Wha-?" She grumbled, waving a lazy hand in her girlfriend's direction when she heard a chuckle.

"Today we get to decorate the tree! It's December first! It's tree day!" Henry smiled brightly as he bounced on the stool he was perched upon, "It's also a Saturday, so we get to spend the whole day!"

Emma yawned, "That's great kid," she smiled as best she could, "I can't wait."

Henry opened his mouth to say something, but Regina cut in, "Henry, finish up your breakfast, then you can start to open the boxes I brought down. Let Emma finish waking up, she got home very late last night."

Plopping onto a stool, Emma yawned again, "I need a cup of coffee and a good shower before we start anything though, kid. So no need to rush… we have the whole day." She hoped that her voice didn't waver, and give away her emotions on the subject.

Henry nodded before leaning over in his stool to kiss her cheek, "Thanks for staying with Grace last night, Emma. Also for being such a good sheriff and catching the guy who attacked Jefferson."

Emma turned her head and smiled at him, "Yea, kid, no problem. Just a bit beat. So finish your last bite there, and go get ready. Organization is always a good thing."

"Here's your coffee, Emma," Regina spoke, sliding a large mug in her direction.

"Thanks," Emma rumbled her appreciation, and moaned gratefully as the hot, caffeinated drink slid down her throat.

"All right, I'm done. Can I go get everything ready now mom?" Henry asked around his last mouthful of food.

Regina chuckled and Emma smiled a little at the sound as she watched her son, "Finish chewing and swallowing first, Henry. Then be sure to wash your hands before opening any of the boxes."

He nodded and swallowed before scampering off in direction of the downstairs bathroom, screeching as he went, "Woo! Christmas tree decorating!"

Emma grimaced, and then hurriedly tried to hide the look by gulping down a breath full of coffee, "Emma, are you all right?"

_Damn. _She nodded, "Umm-hmm, just great," she forced a smile on her face, but knew it wasn't working when Regina raised an eyebrow.

Regina walked around the island and sat down beside her, reaching out to clasp at her hand that wasn't holding her coffee mug, "Emma, what's the matter? Would you like to go back upstairs and get some more sleep?"

Swallowing down the sudden need to cry at the kind tone in her girlfriend's voice, Emma shook her head, "No, really, I'm okay. Just finishing my coffee, then taking a shower."

Her hand slipped off the counter as Regina lifted it to her lips, pressing a kiss to each bruising knuckle, "Okay, but I'm here for you. Whatever demons you're fighting with right now, if you need an extra hand, I'm here."

Emma carefully took her hand back as she nodded, suddenly feeling as if the world was closing in around her. Taking one last swallow of her coffee, she stood, pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of Regina's lips before bolting away, and heading upstairs to Regina's quiet calling of her name.

Tears were streaking down her cheeks as she bounded into the bedroom she and Regina shared, and her breathing was quickly turning into hyperventilating.

She dropped to the floor and curled into a ball, muffling her crying by pressing her face into her knees.

They were going to send her away. Who wanted to spend time with someone who had never before decorated a Christmas tree? She was useless, and they were going to finally figure it out, and they weren't going to want her anymore. Nobody wanted a thirty-year-old reject who'd never celebrated Christmas. Nobody wanted to spend time with someone who had never decorated a tree, or sung carols, or made snow angels after having a snowball fight, or sat on a window sill with a warm cup of cocoa, laughing and telling stories as the snow fell outside… she wasn't anything worth having… and they were going to realize that… and they were going to send her away… just like everyone else….

"Emma?" Regina's voice drifted to her through the closed door.

She pulled her head from her knees and called out, trying desperately to keep her voice even, "Just… getting in the shower."

"Henry's downstairs, would you like me to join you?" Regina's voice had dropped a little, and Emma's breath caught in her throat.

She choked out through her sob, "No!" Swallowing, she quickly went on, "Go downstairs, enjoy some time with Henry."

"Emma? Okay, dear, now you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

Emma took a deep breath and cleared her throat, "I… I just stubbed my toe. I'm fine, just tired, and worn out. It's okay. Go on downstairs, I'll… be there soon." _After I've packed my bags so I don't have to be here a second longer than you don't want me to be._

"…Okay, I'll be downstairs. I love you, Emma."

"I love you… too."

Footsteps slowly began to walk away from the door, and Emma sniffed before slowly getting up. She stalled, and took in the room around her, her heart aching, before moving to the closet to grab her duffel.

/SQ/

Regina wrung her hands together as her stomach flipped. She'd seen the fear in Emma's eyes. She'd seen the tears threatening to spill from ocean blue eyes, "Mom!" Her son's voice pulled her from her thoughts, "Where do you want me to put the-"

"Leave it in the box, Henry! We'll take care of it at the end. Just before the angel."

"Okay!"

A small shuffle from the stairs caught her attention, and her head snapped to the side to Emma with a duffle slung over her shoulder, and tears in her eyes.

Regina felt her stomach drop to her feet, and her heart follow shortly after, "Emma? What's going on?"

Her girlfriend looked down, "I'm going. Don't worry, I'm- I won't intrude on your holidays. Nob-"

A scoff flittered through her lips, but she managed to keep her voice down so Henry couldn't hear, "Going? Going where? What happened? Where did this come from?"

"Nobody wants a reject to deal with on the holidays. I get it, so don't worry. No one wants a woman of thirty who has never done it."

Tears began to pool in her eyes as Emma turned and started for the door, "Emma. What are you talking about? Never done what? Whatever you seem to get, I sure don't, so you're going to have to explain."

"I get it, okay? I get that you're going to send me away!"

The tears were now streaming from her eyes, "Why do you think that?"

"Because I'm thirty, and I've never done anything like this before! I've never decorated a tree? Or had snowball fights! Or had a family to spend time with for Christmas! I've never done any of it… and nobody wants that. I know that. That's one of the reasons I was always sent away, or not invited places… if I ever made someone who could be called a friend. Nobody wants someone who's never done it. I get it, so don't worry, I'm going." Emma shifted the duffel and started her trek to the door again, only to be stopped by Regina catching her arm.

"No. Oh, no… no, no, no…" Regina wiped away the tears from her eyes and smiled, "of course I want you. I want you, Emma."

Emma twisted a little, to look at her, and Regina's heart broke from the sight of tears running down Emma's cheeks, "But I-"

"Am the woman I love," Regina interjected, drawing Emma close, and clasping wet cheeks in both her hands, "and that is not going to change just because you've never had the chance to decorate a silly tree. No, the only thing that that's going to do is put a smile on my face."

Emma choked a little on a quiet sob, "Why?"

Regina rubbed her thumbs across Emma's cheeks, wiping away tears, "Because, I get to teach you. Henry and I get to show you just how wonderful Christmas can be. We get to give you the best memories about your first, real Christmas."

The duffel fell from Emma's hand, and landed with a soft thump on the wood floor, "You're… not sending me away?"

"No," Regina gave her a kiss, "I'm not," and another, "going to send," and another, "you away," and another.

"You still want me?"

"I want you even more," Regina said honestly, kissing Emma again, and again, and again, "always more."

Shaking arms wrapped around her, and pulled their bodies together as Emma began to sob openly against Regina's shoulder. Regina held on tight, rocking slightly, "I love you, Emma."

"Mom? Emma? What… what's wrong?" Henry's voice interrupted, as he quickly came into the hall.

"Emma's very tired, Henry. Remember, when you were younger, and I would get very tired?"

He nodded, "You would have…" he scrunched his nose a little, "a panic attack. You said that you would get very upset about something."

She smiled, "Emma is experiencing something like that right now."

Henry tilted his head to the side, "Why? Is it about what happened to Jefferson?"

"No, it's because she was afraid we were going to be upset that she's never decorated a tree before."

Henry's eyes widened, and he took a second to process what he'd heard, before he jumped over to Emma and grabbed her hand, "Come on! Come on! Emma! Come on!"

Regina huffed as Emma- who's crying had somewhat calmed, and her eyes were full of confusion- was practically torn away from her, "Henry, what on earth are you doing?"

"Go grab the video camera!" He ordered, "We're making a memory today, and it needs to be recorded!"

Emma froze then, and Henry almost fell over from her abrupt halt, "What?"

Henry turned to her and smiled, "When I was younger, whenever we did something new, mom would always record it. We have tons and tons of tapes. Well, we're doing something new today, and so it deserves to be recorded."

Regina smiled brightly at her son, and was elated to note that a smile was tugging on Emma's face, "Really, kid?"

"Well, duh. It's not every year I get to teach someone the best way to celebrate Christmas," he stated matter-of-factly before snaking his arms around Emma for a big hug, "and who better to teach you? My mom and I have so much knowledge, it's bursting from our ears. Now you can take some of the load off," he snickered.

"Okay, you take Emma to the living room, Henry, I'll go get the camera," Regina said, her chest full of love and happiness.

"Don't worry, mom, I won't start without you," Henry threw her a smile, and tugged Emma into the living babbling away, "so when decorating a tree you always start-"

/SQ/

A warm feeling had long since settled into her chest as Henry had begun telling her all about Christmas, and how to decorate the tree the proper way, and the warm feeling was making her smile wider than she had ever smiled before.

They weren't getting rid of her. They were keeping her, and teaching her about Christmas.

She smiled as Henry put on the last ornament from the box before looking to her, "That," he pointed to the freshly decorated tree, "is how you decorate the best Christmas tree ever."

"So we're all done?" She asked.

He shook his head, "Not yet. There are still two things missing. Mom? Can I give it to her now?"

Emma looked at Regina, who was now sporting an expensive video camera in her hands, after removing it from the tripod, as her girlfriend answered, "Go ahead, Henry. You can give it to her now."

"Woo!" He cheered before dashing to a box that was hidden behind another, "Here is the first piece that's missing," he said as he pulled a beautifully wrapped box out from the brown cardboard storage box.

"What is it?"

"You'll have to open it, and see," he motioned for her to sit on the couch, and she obliged.

"Open it?"

"Yup," he nodded as he carefully placed the gift into her lap and then plopped to the floor at her feet, "open it."

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she tore open the wrapping paper to find a deep crimson, velvet case. She looked up to Regina, who smiled back at her, from behind the camera that was trained on her, "Go on, Emma, see what's inside."

Glancing back down, she slowly opened the lid, and her breath caught in her throat, "Oh my God."

"It's just for you." Henry said, "It matches the ones that we already put on the tree, the one with my name, and mom's. Now you have one, too."

Emma wiped away a tear with the knuckle of her thumb before she gently removed the elaborate gold and crystal ornament with her name gorgeously engraved upon it in a slivery-blue, "You got this… for me?"

"Yea, you're part of the family, Emma. So of course you need a special ornament to go on the tree."

A lump settled into her throat, and she swallowed around it, "Thank you," she whispered.

Henry gave her a wide grin, "Go put it on!"

She smiled back, leaning over and planting a kiss to his forehead before she stood, and gave Regina quick kiss to the lips, "Thank you."

"You're most welcome, Emma. Go ahead and add it to the tree."

Emma gave her another kiss before stepping to the tree, and smiling as she placed it on the limb just beside the purple and crystal ornament that had Regina's name engraved on it, "Part of the family," she whispered to herself.

"Okay, last part, Emma. This is the best part, because after this, we all get some really yummy eggnog that mom made last night. It's reward for a job well done with the tree."

She smiled at him, "Okay, kid, what's left?"

He gave her a bright smile, "The angel!" Turning, he went another storage box and brought out a spectacular tree topper.

"She's beautiful," Emma breathed out.

"Mom got her the year she adopted me," Henry stated, "her name is Annabeth."

"Give her to Emma, Henry," Regina said.

"No, don't, I'm going to break her!" Emma exclaimed, stepping away from Henry's outstretched hands.

"You won't, don't worry," Henry smiled.

Emma swallowed, and eyed Henry for a moment, before gingerly taking the figurine from him, "What do I do?"

"You put it up," Henry replied.

She stared at the figurine, taking in the embellished features with curious eyes. She chuckled a little, and smiled before placing the figurine on top of his head, making sure not to let go, "Okay, she's up."

Henry burst out laughing, and Emma soon followed. "No!" He giggled, "You put it up there!"

"Oh?" She stepped to Regina

"No, Emma," Regina protested, but Emma paid her no mind.

She simply smirked and carefully placed Annabeth atop Regina's head, "Here?"

Henry dropped to the floor with his laughter, "No!" He breathed out heavily, "You put her on top of the tree!"

"Oooh!" Emma huddled the figurine to her chest as she slapped a hand to her forehead, "Up there!"

"Yes!" He exclaimed, rolling a little on the carpet as his laughter slowly died down, "She's a tree topper! She goes on top of the tree, and watches over the family through the holidays. She's a guardian angel, who protects the family during the Christmas season."

Emma smiled as she carefully pulled the ladder up to the tree, "So what would happen if she broke?"

"Then her spirit is released, and though that Christmas will be wracked with troubles, Annabeth will guide the family to their new angel, so that they don't have to suffer the troubles again," Henry said as he stood from the floor, and placed his hands on the ladder.

"So you'd get a new angel?"

He nodded, "Yea. It's part of Christmas, and being forgiven. Annabeth would forgive us, and would bless another angel as our guardian, so that we will have Christmas cheer again, and be renewed and forgiven."

"Well, I promise to do my best not to break her," Emma reassured as she carefully stepped up the ladder, and proceeded to place Annabeth where she belonged.

When she was sure Annabeth was secure, she stepped down, and wrapped an arm around Henry, smiling to the camera, "Best Christmas indeed. Now, I heard that there was some eggnog?"

Regina smiled from behind the camera as she turned it off, "In the fridge."

Henry cheered, before scampering off, "Eggnog!"

Regina chuckled, rolling her eyes, as she shut off the camera, and placed it in its bag, "Henry, be careful!" She called after her son as she headed in the direction he had gone.

Emma laughed as she trailed behind, but stopped and quickly turned around. Looking up to the top of the large pine tree, she smiled, and whispered, "Thanks for looking out for my family."

Turning back, she hurried to the kitchen, just missing a slight flutter from the tree, as Annabeth settled comfortably onto the tree, a smile on her face as she listened to the laughter of her charges.


End file.
